Will The Aerotropolis Replace The Metropolis?

International airports are increasingly serving as a magnet for commercial development, and could rival traditional downtown central business districts as the core of economic activity in urban areas. According to Kasarda, airports represent the "fifth wave" of changes in transportation infrastructure that have shaped commercial development over the past three centuries: the first being seaports; the second, rivers and canals; the third, railroads; and the fourth, highways. "Aviation will drive development in the 21st century the ways cars did in the 20th century," he predicted.